Coyotes hire first female coach in NHL history
Dawn Braid has been appointed as the team’s full-time skating coach
Photo taken by Rob McMorris, courtesy of Arizona Coyotes
Dawn Braid is now the Coyotes’ skating coach, marking the first instance in National Hockey League history that a team has hired a full-time female coach.
September 20, 2016
In a monumental move, the Coyotes announced on Aug. 24 the hiring of skating coach Dawn Braid, the first ever full-time female coach in NHL history. This news comes in the wake of the January announcement that the Buffalo Bills hired Kathryn Smith as the first ever full-time assistant coach in the NFL.
An Ontario native, Braid competed in several national championships as a figure skater before beginning her coaching career. Braid was the director of skating development for the Athletes Training Center for seven years and worked with the Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames prior to being brought on staff with the Coyotes.
In a release on NHL.com, Braid was appreciative of this opportunity that she has spent her life working towards.
“The fact that they respect what I do enough to name me as a full-time coach, or to name me as the first female coach in the NHL, I take a ton of pride in that,” Braid said. “I’ve worked very hard for this opportunity. It’s been going on for years and I just look forward to going even further with it.”
Coyotes General Manager John Chayka is on a roll in terms of making history after he was promoted earlier this year, making him the youngest GM in NHL history. In a recent press conference, he felt bringing in the respected Braid was a no-brainer.
“Dawn is someone who we feel is at the top of her field so we thought it was imperative to hire her,” Chayka said. “The game is getting faster and it’s all about skating.”
KC McGinley, the first recruit of the inaugural Arizona State University women’s hockey team, was optimistic this will bring change and bring more opportunity for other deserving women in professional sports as well as inspire young women playing youth hockey.
“Hopefully this will light a fire under other teams to get more women involved in the coaching staff,” McGinley said. “The fact that we got a female as one of the coaches in Arizona, which isn’t necessarily known as a hockey state, is so amazing. Especially what it’s going to do for youth hockey, specifically girls.”
